Swaraj India protests at police HQ in minor’s rape case

New Delhi, Nov 28 (IANS) Swaraj India Party President Yogendra Yadav, party activists and the family of a minor who was raped and murdered, protested at Delhi Police HQ here on Sunday against police’s failure to arrest the accused.

The protest started at around 3 p.m. when hundreds of Swaraj India volunteered gathered at Police Headquarters, and started raising slogans against Delhi Police demanding suspension of Station House Officer (SHO) of Keshav Puram Police station and other policemen for delaying action.

“Eight days have passed but the accused identified by police is still roaming freely… we and victim’s family members were assured by the Joint Commissioner of Police, Sanjay Singh that the accused would be arrested within 24 hours,” said Yadav.

Party spokesperson Anupam told IANS that they had written to both Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Delhi Police Commissioner A.K. Verma to intervene into the matter.

Yadav also condemned the police crackdown on Friday at Swaraj India office in Patel Nagar. “It is our democratic right to protest against the deteriorating law and order situation in the capital,” he said, and warned that if police don’t arrest the accused within 72 hours, then their protest will be “continued in a big way”.

The four-year-old victim’s mother alleged that it was police inaction which led to the crime even though she had complained to the SHO and local beat constables within half an hour of the girl going missing, but police did not take the matter seriously.

The minor girl was raped and murdered by a pick-upo driver on November 20, while she was playing outside home in a slum area of north Delhi. Her body was later found dead in the railway quarters in Keshav Puram area.